IN MEMORIAM: Basketball Legend Bill Russell Dies at 88
Boston Celtics Legend Bill Russell, one of professional basketball’s greatest players and the sport’s most crowned champion, has died at the age of 88. Russell, who won 11 NBA titles as a player and two as a player-coach, died “peacefully” with his wife, Jeannine, at his side, a statement on social media said. Jeannine said funeral arrangements are pending. “But for all the winning, Bill’s understanding of the struggle is what illuminated his life. From boycotting a 1961 exhibition game to unmask too-long-tolerated discrimination, to leading Mississippi’s first integrated basketball camp in the combustible wake of Medgar Evans’ assassination, to decades of activism ultimately recognized by his...
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Russell Westbrook Enters Digital Media Game to Bring Focus to Multicultural Audiences
NBA veteran point guard, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Russell Westbrook, has formally entered the digital media sector by launching Russell Westbrook Enterprises, new digital media division, RW Digital. The division has architected specific programmatic solutions that enables brands to more efficiently reach diverse audiences and amplify owned and operated minority publishers. Since ascending, Westbrook's business portfolio has grown to touch multiple verticals including Venture Capital, Fashion, Real-Estate, Insurance and now Digital Advertising. With the driving force of resourceful betterment for his community being the focal point, Westbrook has intentionally expanded his mission of empowerment through thoughtful exploration of additional pathways to success. "With RW Digital, my mission is to...
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The Clean Energy Economy: Will Blacks Get Left Behind in the Race to Green?
America continues to plod the course toward a clean energy nation – albeit glacially. Though hampered by an aging infrastructure and other factors, widespread clean energy – or power that does not, in its generation and consumption, add pollution or contribute to climate change – appears to be a certainty. Unfortunately, this particular scenario could lead to yet another great divide for African Americans. As the world slowly moves toward increased clean energy generation, a gap is widening and hindering African Americans positioning themselves to benefit from the jobs and business opportunities that this burgeoning industry is creating. “We’re already creating this chasm. One of the...
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Chemico CEO Takes on Pandemic Recovery with Military Precision
Marine Vet Leon Richardson Improvising and Adapting to Overcome Supply Chain Challenges Leon Richardson’s eight years of exemplary service in the United States Marine Corps and the rigors of military training have proven to be invaluable in preparing him him for the rollercoaster ride that comes with entrepreneurship. But the president and CEO of Chemico Group, a Southfield, Michigan-based chemical management service provider, is tapping into those lessons learned and leveraging his military acumen to fight back against the pandemic’s impact on business and supply chain challenges to keep growing the business he founded 33 years ago. With approximately 500 employees and nearly $200 million in...
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IN MEMORIAM: Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura on ‘Star Trek,’ has died at 89
Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) By LINDSEY BAHR, AP Film Writer | The AFRO Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood when she played communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” television series, has died at the age of 89. Her son Kyle Johnson said Nichols died Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico. “Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration,” Johnson wrote on her official Facebook page Sunday....
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The Lasting Legacy of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
by Dr. Aleesia Johnson and Dr. Christina Grant “If it were not for Black women, Black people would not have been educated in this country.”- Dr. Sharon Contreras, Superintendent, Guilford County Schools On a Friday morning in June, 13 Black women who serve as school superintendents across the United States gathered in front of a monument. We’d made a very intentional decision to come together in tribute to one of our foremothers whose path shaped the way for so many of us – Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. If you don’t know Dr. Bethune’s name, you should. Because of her contributions to our country, she is the first African American represented in...
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The BasBlue Foundation: A Multimillion Dollar Investment in Detroit Women
BasBlue, a nonprofit space dedicated to creating pathways and opportunities for women, opened its doors in October 2021. Today, it is a community of nearly 700 women, 60% of whom live in the City of Detroit. Now, BasBlue is launching its next chapter: The BasBlue Foundation. The Foundation’s initial goal is to raise $2 million before the end of 2023 to support fellowships and opportunities that empower women and girls by providing tools and resources to support their education, careers and increase their access to capital. Thanks to the support of the Total Health Care Foundation, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and The Remington Group,...
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Henry Louis Gates Jr. To Oversee Oxford’s New African American Dictionary
Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. will be at the helm of Oxford's new dictionary that will recognize Black culture's centuries-long impact on the English language. On Thursday (July 21), Gates Jr., Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, announced that he will serve as the editor-in-chief of the Oxford Dictionary of African American English. The new dictionary will house a glossary of popular words and phrases used by Black Americans past and present. “Just the way Louis Armstrong took the trumpet and turned it inside out from the way people played European classical music,” Gates Jr. told the New York Times, Black people took English and “reinvented...
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BYRON ALLEN’S ALLEN MEDIA GROUP ACQUIRES BLACK NEWS CHANNEL
United States Bankruptcy Court Approves $11 Million Sale of 'Black News Channel' Assets to Allen Media Group Byron Allen's Allen Media Group (AMG) is proud to announce that the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court, (Case No. 4:22-bk-40087-KKS) issued an order approving the sale of "substantially all of" Black News Channel (BNC) "assets free and clear of all liens, claims, encumbrances and interests" to AMG's networks division. AMG is acquiring BNC out of bankruptcy for $11 million from billionaire Shahid Khan, owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars franchise. Khan invested over $100 million into BNC. AMG's acquisition of BNC will add 300 million linear and digital subscribers to the AMG portfolio of assets -- which includes 12 television networks such as The Weather Channel, digital platforms Local...
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Michael Langley To Make History As Marines’ First Black Four-Star General
Courtesy of Black Information Network Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley is set to become the first Black four-star general in the Marines' 246-year history as head of U.S. military forces in Africa, the Washington Post reports. Pending Senate confirmation on Thursday (July 21), Langley will become the Chief of U.S. Africa Command. The historic confirmation would elevate Langley as the only Black man to have become a four-star general, an honor that has been accomplished by more than 70 white men in the Marines' history. Black men have previously become four-star generals in the Army, Navy, and Airforce, while only a handful have attained three-star status in the Marines. Before Langley, retired Lt. Gen. Walter...
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